Aaron Rodgers' first season in Pittsburgh was a success -- the Steelers made the playoffs and Rodgers finished with a 24:7 touchdown to interception ratio. However, there is more to be accomplished from a statistical standpoint and the addition of head coach Mike McCarthy, Rodgers' former coach in Green Bay, could unlock an entirely new brand of Steelers football.
Dave Richard has ranked all 18 new play-callers by worst for Fantasy to best, and we're going team by team through his rankings to see how your perception of every key player in Fantasy should change to get you ready for Fantasy Football draft season. Up at No. 12: Mike McCarthy and the Steelers.
Who's new?
Mike McCarthy is living the Western Pennsylvania dream by leading his hometown Steelers. He's also living the NFL coaching dream, landing a third head coaching gig. McCarthy has called plays as an offensive coordinator or head coach for effectively all but two years this century. He's a devout West Coast offense guy.
What's expected this year?
McCarthy's 58.6% career pass rate is weighted by how aggressive he's called passes over his last 18 years, getting over a 60% pass rate in 13 of those seasons including 4 of 5 in Dallas. How quickly his offense will move is in question -- with the Cowboys McCarthy's average real time between plays was 37.7 seconds, but he was significantly slower in his final four years with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, who himself has worked like a sloth (42.7 seconds) since 2016. It's been over 15 years since running backs under Mike McCarthy have had a target share of at least 20%. They just don't quite fit what he generally calls -- a lot of timed routes, usually involving hitches, that bust up zone coverages. That contrasts with Rodgers, who threw to his RBs 25.1% of the time last year and has been thrown to them at least 19.9% in each of his last six years. As for tight ends, they were never a huge part of McCarthy's offenses and Rodgers has thrown their way 20% or more just six seasons in his career, with a 29.5% rate in 2025 easily a career-high.
Winners and losers for Fantasy
I'd be nervous for Jaylen Warren, who theoretically would replace Kenneth Gainwell as the Steelers' top pass-catching RB but may not see the same kind of volume there. He also figures to get squeezed on carries by Rico Dowdle, whom Mike McCarthy brought into the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and stuck with McCarthy through 2024. Dowdle is coming off of back-to-back seasons averaging 4.6 yards per rush on two different teams. He also caught 39 passes in each of the past two years -- there's real good potential with Dowdle. Michael Pittman's most common route last year in Indy was the hitch, which he ran 123 times. He caught 21 of 24 of those targets (87.5%) for 8.8 yards per catch on a 5.7-yard average depth of target. Those last two numbers are underwhelming but that could be the primary route he'll be asked to run. Pittman was about as effective on crossing routes which could be added to the playsheet. Rookie Germie Bernard was also effective running hitches and could be a modest factor from the slot. That leaves DK Metcalf sort of in a lurch -- he was good at hitch routes too last year but might be asked to stay outside and run downfield more often. The red zone might have to save him but Metcalf's no longer the only big-bodied receiver in Pittsburgh. I wonder if it leads to underwhelming seasons for all three receivers. None of any of McCarthy's tendencies or history is enough to get you excited about Aaron Rodgers' 2026 stats. This might be an offense he'll be more familiar with but it won't mean he'll help your Fantasy team.
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